tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post4601794672032964547..comments2016-11-05T09:25:38.382-04:00Comments on Biking in Heels: On cycle tracksCyclerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12072776738519243521noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-7569435610101498402011-10-19T16:23:15.195-04:002011-10-19T16:23:15.195-04:00Sam,
I actually rode the vassar street cycletrack ...Sam,<br />I actually rode the vassar street cycletrack yesterday evening, and the only stress I had was when I was crossing Mass Ave (with the light) and a biker started to run the red into my path. I bellowed DON&#39;T! and he stopped.<br />I find them a very pleasant way to go N&amp;S along this corridor, with better than average snow clearing too. I wish there were better connections through to Cambridgeport over the railroad tracks, but now that I found the &quot;shortcut&quot; I use it quite frequently. http://bikinginheels-cycler.blogspot.com/2010/12/wheelbarrow-load-and-silent-night.htmlcyclerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331461189944538729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-4763849723061942252011-10-19T15:59:20.019-04:002011-10-19T15:59:20.019-04:00I read about the Vassar cycletrack on a paper disc...I read about the Vassar cycletrack on a paper discussing early cycletracks and wondered if you&#39;d ridden on it (I don&#39;t remember reading this post before). And I&#39;m with you and Dottie, I love separated bike infrastructure. I really do hate riding on the road, but I also really despise driving and spending money on auto expenses...so I sometimes feel really stuck. For example. I need to get groceries, but the thought of riding on the busy street and getting all wound up, when I&#39;m currently in a very good and peaceful mood....I&#39;d rather do without it. We have infrastructure haters here too, especially amongst many bike advocates. And it kills me. Just because they like riding in traffic doesn&#39;t mean I do too, even if I do it.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03068855919147458057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-37825778664689881772010-10-12T20:43:44.537-04:002010-10-12T20:43:44.537-04:00I am totally with you! Apologies to those who hat...I am totally with you! Apologies to those who hate separated bike infrastructure, but their criticisms are holding back necessary progress - necessary if we ever want to get a considerable amount of people on bikes.Dottiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03984050970208363927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-24193292630540311052010-10-10T22:29:33.938-04:002010-10-10T22:29:33.938-04:00I&#39;ll make a vote for Vasser, as I&#39;ve alway...I&#39;ll make a vote for Vasser, as I&#39;ve always felt more comfortable on that stretch. Never had a problem with tourning vehicles. Though a better separation from pedestrians would be desirable, a bell usually does the trick.<br />As for European cycle tracks, yes they have separate signals at intersections, but not at driveways, they are unsignalled like here. You&#39;ll note that the cycle track ends before the intersections, probably because Cambridge is still uncomfortable with installing bike signals.<br />Admittedly, there seem to be fewer driveways on Europe routes with cycle tracks. This may be that European cycle tracks are on busier streets, while small local streets with more driveways, similar to Vasser, tend to have bike lanes or are shared.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14434254311488859982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-50364544050253294432010-10-10T12:09:59.547-04:002010-10-10T12:09:59.547-04:00I like the cycle track on Vassar, but it is true t...I like the cycle track on Vassar, but it is true that you have to be careful for pedestrians and around the driveways and parking lots. Especially the MIT Police lot! But this would still be the case if you were in a bike lane, or even in the auto lane. I for one would not want to see stop lights in the lanes---if I&#39;m going to be subjected to that, I might as well just ride in the street. It is also not a part of my regular commute, so I am usually not on it at rush-hour times. But if I need to go over to the Cambridgeport area for any reason, then it is a more or less straight shot from my house down Vassar. Also, I can&#39;t imagine that more than a few streets in Cambridge could even accommodate a lane like that.<br /><br />It does seem to be almost impossible to have bicycle infrastructure around here than is truly bike-only. Even the lanes attract joggers, delivery trucks, and homeless guys with shopping carts. Peds will stand in them waiting to cross the street.Moopheusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-68956780012202048832010-10-10T03:13:51.282-04:002010-10-10T03:13:51.282-04:00Personally, I have not found the grade separation ...Personally, I have not found the grade separation on Vassar to be a significant deterrent of cars turning into my path. In my experience, this issue is worse on that particular track than in a typical Cambridge bicycle lane. <br /><br />When in Vienna, I like their cycle tracks and use them gladly. But they are designed differently from the ones currently in Cambridge. I think that if American cities want to successfully implement cycle tracks, they have to do so in conjunction with installing bicycle-specific lights in order to make these tracks safe - as it is done in European cities. You will not find a cycle track in Amsterdam designed in such a way, so that bicycles must compete with turning cars.Velouriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00359329171411037482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-80413028628591705372010-10-10T00:54:38.332-04:002010-10-10T00:54:38.332-04:00@JPTWins:
On the stretch of Concord Ave in questi...@JPTWins:<br /><br />On the stretch of Concord Ave in question, very few cars make right turns and visibility is pretty good. So statistically, it&#39;s not going to be a major hazard.<br /><br />On the other hand, the Fitchburg Cutoff Path is going to be fucking amazing. It&#39;s a win-win-win project that is really going to be a grand slam.Herzognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-54345628768424141152010-10-10T00:44:44.043-04:002010-10-10T00:44:44.043-04:00Keep in mind that I don&#39;t advocate VC (which I...Keep in mind that I don&#39;t advocate VC (which I think is defensible as a survival technique but a laughable principle for designing infrastructure) and I like to ride at around 10 mph.<br /><br />I think the main problem is that drivers in Boston (and most of the U.S.) are careless when turning right. Until you change this, cycle tracks won&#39;t work well.<br /><br />Of course, this is a chicken/egg problem so you have to start somewhere. Just where to start I&#39;m not sure.<br /><br />However, this project is not such a step in the right direction because they&#39;re getting rid of the shoulder on the road, which is a bad on a 30mph+ road.<br /><br />If instead, they were doing something like sidewalk-twowaybikeway-shoulder-travellane-turninglane-travellane-shoulder-sidewalk on Concord Ave, I would be overjoyed and would be praising it as one of the most important transportation projects for Belmont.Herzognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8356723782465446786.post-5631319901215705362010-10-09T21:28:11.935-04:002010-10-09T21:28:11.935-04:00I wish the mere idea of building a cycletrack coul...I wish the mere idea of building a cycletrack could recreate all the delightful time I spent riding in Amsterdam and Germany, but I somehow doubt it to be true.<br /><br />However, I&#39;d be willing to give the city and the people of Cambridge/Boston a chance to prove themselves. If it is obviously failing (as Herzog seemed to imply in the last post&#39;s comment), well then, at least we gave it a try, and I&#39;ll go back to commuting on the hopefully paved Fresh pond path!<br /><br />Thanks for the info and updates!JPTwinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10348686531981776474noreply@blogger.com